State Briefs 10/30/08

ROCKFORD — A homeless man died from injuries he suffered after he was hit by a train Wednesday evening.

Robert Crimmins, 37, was hit by the train at 6 p.m. as he was walking west on the railroad tracks, and a Canadian National Freight train was traveling east.

Crimmins was taken to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee, where he died Wednesday night.

An autopsy was performed by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, which listed the cause of death as “multiple blunt traumatic injuries,” including an amputated foot. Crimmins was intoxicated at the time of the accident.

Rockford Register Star

Shoes autographed by Michael Jordan stolen

WEST PEORIA — A pair of sneakers autographed by Michael Jordan worth $10,000 was stolen recently from a new, yet to open bar.

Guy Adams, owner of Bullwinkle's Bar & Grill, told a Peoria County Sheriff's deputy that sometime between the end of September and Tuesday someone took a pair of red, white and black Nike Air Jordans autographed by the basketball superstar.

Over the past couple of months, Adams has had several different contractors and their employees inside the tavern and eatery working on the remodel.

The shoes were one piece of the sports memorabilia collection decorating the bar.

Peoria Journal Star

Man sentenced to 25 years for shooting friend in the head

SPRINGFIELD – A 21-year-old Springfield man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday after being found guilty of shooting a lifelong friend in the head late last year.

Eljay Harris was accused of trying to rob the friend, Terrell Howze, of several thousand dollars that Howze had in his pocket because he was on his way to buy drugs, according to testimony at Harris’ trial in August.

Harris fired two shots at Howze, one hitting him in the groin and the other in the head, leaving Howze paralyzed on one side of his face and deaf in one ear. The incident happened about 12:30 a.m. Dec. 28 outside the former Pillsbury plant on North 15th Street.

Harris will have to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence for aggravated battery with a firearm.

State Journal-Register

Man charged with killing sister-in-law

BLOOMINGTON — A 21-year-old man has been charged with sexually assaulting and murdering his pregnant sister-in-law at his parents' home in LeRoy.

Jason Marksteiner was charged Wednesday in McLean County court with three counts of murder and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault. He is in the county jail on $1 million bond.

McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling said preliminary findings of an autopsy Wednesday indicate Jodi N. McGrew, 19, of rural Clinton died of blunt-force trauma to the head because of an assault, with strangulation a "significant contributing factor."

Kimmerling also said McGrew was in the second trimester of a pregnancy.

In court Wednesday, First Assistant State's Attorney Kim Campbell said LeRoy police responded to a 911 call about a possible assault at about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday. They found Marksteiner and McGrew naked and covered with blood in an upstairs bedroom.

Campbell said Marksteiner's wife and three children were sleeping in the same room where McGrew was attacked. His wife told police she didn't hear or see an attack, and she didn't wake up until an alarm went off at about 6:15 a.m. It isn't known if she made the 911 call.